


Unconstancy

by glittergrenade



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Ant-Man (Movies)
Genre: Angst, FITZ BABY, Fitz feels, Fluff, Gen, Idea from the name drop thingy, Idea gotten from AoS season 3 episode 1, Mental Illness, Pym Particles, Quantum Realm, leo and hank, oh baby Fitz, oh my baby fitz
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-07
Updated: 2015-10-07
Packaged: 2018-04-25 05:55:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4949191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glittergrenade/pseuds/glittergrenade
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Hank gets a knock on the door from a stranger, he doesn't expect to see so much of himself in this kid searching for his girl.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Unconstancy

**Author's Note:**

> I never thought I would touch movie!Hank because I love comics!Hank too much (y'know, the one who's not an old man). But then the first AoS episode came out this season and Coulson be like, "yeah, after the disaster at Pym Tech, Fitz was convinced Simmons had been shrunk down, even though there was no evidence that supported it" and I couldn't resist (besides, the Ant-Man movie was awesome)! Lol so yeah…
> 
> AHHH HURRYING TO POST THIS QUICK BEFORE THE SECOND EPISODE OF THE SEASON AIRS AHHHH

_Ding-dong!_

The doorbell rang, startling Hank from a sleepy morning daze.

_Ding-ding-dong!_

What… the… hell? Hank rubbed his eyes.

_Ding-ding-a-ling-dong!_

Okay already! Hank went to the door, wondering who could possibly be hoping to visit at this hour. He had only just got up, and lucky at that — it was a quarter after six. His daughter had taken to visiting him often since the whole thing with Scott and 'bonding', for which he was immensely grateful — but Hope wouldn't be coming over at six fifteen! She probably wasn't even up yet herself.

"Hello there!" a thick Scottish accent greeted Hank as soon as the door was opened. Oh. It was some random kid, maybe collage aged. Was he selling something?

"Not interested," Hank began, but at that the boy yelped in what seemed almost like panic.

"No no no no no!" He held the door open when Hank made as if to close it. "Are you the founder of Pym Technologies? Did — did you invent the Pym Particle?"

"Oh." Hank sighed. "You heard about that whole Yellowjacket disaster. Of course. Look, if this is for your school paper, I'd be happy to talk to you — later. Definitely not when the sun's barely risen yet."

"No, I'm a scientist!" Hurriedly he flashed an ID that looked almost like an FBI badge. "Leopold Fitz, SHIELD engineer. Look, I need to know about your methods of shrinking…"

But Hank wasn't listening anymore. That ID had looked familiar, and then SHIELD… Had he said SHIELD?!

In an instant, 100% of Hank's outwardly polite manner vanished into bitterness, as memories surged up on him about all that SHIELD had done, and tried to do, to him. "I am in no way interested in helping SHIELD in any sort of endeavor; goodbye and I hope you don't have a nice day," he said coolly.

Crying out, Leo tried to stop him as he slammed the door, but to no avail; Hank was very strong, especially for his age. _Good riddance._

Leo began persistently to bang on the glass beside the door, then pressed his creased brow against it. "Please!" And the desperation in Leo's call made Hank actually listen. "It's not for SHIELD. This is my own thing. My friend. It's for my friend. Please help me, I… I'll do anything."

Hank stared at him. That desperation, pleading, that urgency… somehow it struck a chord very deep in Hank's soul and he had to open the door again. "I'm listening."

"Much appreciated." Leo stepped inside instantly, as if preventative to being locked out again, and Hank didn't stop him. "I'm hoping to find my friend who may have been shrunk down to a microscopic level. Maybe even shrunk out of this universe, if such a thing is possible."

 _If it was possible._ "The Quantum Realm," Hank murmured to himself. Well, when it came to endlessly searching for people lost in there, this kid sure had come to the right place.

Leo's eyes widened slightly. He had grown a confident air around him again; yet he was very obviously shaking. "You are aquatinted with my idea?"

"Yes." Hank sighed, closing the door and turning away to lead Leo into a more comfortable seating area. "Yes, I am the founder of Pym Technologies. Yes, I discovered a formula I call the Pym Particle. Yes, I am very well aquatinted with your 'idea,' which is not actually an idea but a proven fact of reality. Or lack thereof." He paused. "The Quantum Realm is a strange place."

"Exactly why I need to get my friend out of there quick as possible!" Leo nodded briskly.

"I see…" Hank furrowed his brow. He wished he could help this kid, he really did — but he had spent years searching for the exact same thing. Sure, Scott's amazing there-and-back trip had reignited his hope, but still. He had spent a hella long time on this. "Well," he decided to give it to him straight, "as the leading expert in this field, I have to tell you it's not currently possible."

"Well, I can make it possible, that's why I'm a scientist!" Leo insisted. "Just give me access to your research."

"No," Hank replied instantly. There were no to ways about that, he didn't even know this kid. "I'm sure you heard about what happened with Darren Cross?" he pointed out.

"Well yeah, that's why I came here," Leo gave a _well-duh_ expression. "Anyhow, I really need to get my friend back. Uh, can I pay you any amount of money to give me access to your research?"

"I can't be bought with money," Hank was actually offended by that. "Look, I'm sorry about your friend. But I'm doing you a huge act of generosity by even talking to a SHEILD agent."

"Uh…" Leo shook his head, swiping his hands quickly in a gesture of dismissal. "Forget SHIELD. They're just the guys I make things for. I don't know what they did to you, but my friend is innocent of that and I really need to find her!"

Hank gazed at Leo's face, and again a chord seemed to be struck within him, this in perfect harmony with his own. "This friend…" he said slowly. "Do you love her?"

Leo was silent for a moment. "Yes."

"Did you ever tell her?"

"Yes."

"What did she say?"

"She's inconsistent." Leo seemed very agitated. "I'm sorry, but what the hell exactly does this have to do with the problem at hand? That is, getting her back?"

"Okay." Hank sighed. "I'm no stranger to having the love of your life trapped in the Quantum Realm, no stranger to trying endlessly without success for years and years to bring her back…" he paused, seeing the determination only grow stronger in the boy's eyes. "Can I ask when and how your friend ended up there? Was it Cross?"

"Well no," Leo ran his fingers through his hair. "I can't say everything, it being classified, but she got swallowed up by an ancient monolith. It seems to be solid through, now, however, so presumably she's been shrunk down out of it."

"And?" Hank stared at him. "Have you found traces of Pym Particles…?"

"Seeing as how they haven't been a known discovery until the incident at your company, I don't know how to detect them," Leo explained, "yet."

"Then what makes you think she's been shrunk down?"

Leo nodded. "Right. Surely you're familiar with the scientific method, Dr. Pym… I'm employing process by elimination. I've been trying to bring her back for some time without much progress, and then the incident that happened recently drew attention to this possibility."

Hank continued to stare at him, still not really getting it. "Do you have classified evidence pointing to that which you're unable to tell me?"

"What? No. That's why I need your help." Leo looked at him squarely, and the desperation was clear again in his eyes. "When I said I'll do anything, I mean I'll do anything. So what are your thoughts?"

"My thoughts…" Hank looked the kid up and down, trying not to sigh. There was another thing he was no stranger to, and that was mental instability. "You're convinced that your friend has been shrunk into the Quantum Realm when you have literally no evidence to support it?"

"I have elimination," Leo seemed irritated now.

"Do you think maybe you could be looking in the wrong area?" Hank suggested. "I mean, the Pym Particle is not exactly widespread."

"Yeah, but there are…" Leo seemed to stop himself. Presumably he'd been getting into the classified. "We're dealing with really powerful beings, okay? They could do anything."

"Then what makes you think—" Hank began, but Leo interrupted.

"Elimination!" he shouted, clapping his hands together. "How many times do I have to say that?!"

Hank studied Leo scrutinizly. He was clearly very distressed. "Okay…" he said slowly. "Elimination. Leo, can I ask you something, and don't take this the wrong way — do you have a history of mental illness?"

"What?" Leo did seem to take it the wrong way. "What?!"

"I won't judge," Hank said quickly. "I had… similar problems in my younger days, which though never leave me, have improved considerably as I've matured. SHIELD does still do psychological testing, am I right?"

Leo wrinkled his nose. "Sure. I got brain damaged in the field. It's been improving, though. I'm fine. I mean, it's not affecting me in searching for my friend."

"Right." Hank nodded slowly. "Look…" he paused. "You were injured in the field, probably being a hero, that's not a bad way to go down." _Provided SHIELD wasn't just ruining people's lives like the power-hungry organism it is._

"What are you talking about? I'm not useless," Leo grit his teeth. "Are you trying to say my friend is just in my mind because if so, just as a warning, I'm not going to take it well."

"Not at all," Hank wasn't even taken aback, but managed to speak calmly. "For your peace of mind, I'll lend you a tool to detect Pym Particles." Rummaging though his desk, he found the device he had made years ago. "Here. If it does find activity around this monolith, let me know and I'll see what I can do. If not, it means this isn't your answer. Whatever the case though, bring it back to me when you're done, okay? Don't let it get in the hands of SHIELD." Hank didn't know why he was doing this — intuition, maybe? — but he _had_ to help this kid. This could've been him as a young man — hell, this almost _was_ him as a young man.

"I promise," Leo stared at him. "Thank you sir."

"Yeah. Better get going now before I come to me senses and change my mind," Hank ushered the boy toward the door. Leo nodded and started to step down the cement, when Hank called after him.

"Fitz?"

"Yes Dr. Pym?" he looked over his shoulder.

"I hope you find your friend, but whatever happens… just remember she made her own choices, and… it's not your fault she's gone."

"Uh-huh. I'll find her anyhow," Leo nodded dismissively. "Thanks a lot, Dr. Pym."

As Hank watched the boy leave, he wondered if he could've done something more to help. Ah well. Least he should be back to return the device… he should… hopefully, if Hank's sentiment hadn't just gotten the better of him. But he didn't think so. Leo struck him as altogether a good kid. Hopefully he would be okay. Whether from grief or from brain damage or from a combination thereof, Hank didn't need any of his Ph.D's to know Leo wasn't okay at the moment. But things could always get better for him, Hank knew that, even when they seemed the worst — things were never constant, the universe had way too many variables for constancy to be anything but a theory.

Dammit though, Leo Fitz sure did remind him so much of himself. Hank just hoped the kid would have a happier ending.


End file.
